To Kenny Osehan, co-founder with Chris Sewell of the Shelter Social Club, it all started as “an accident.” Wanting to meet people and be inspired by artists, she admits, “It started to fulfill our selfish social needs.”
This need eventually created a boutique hospitality empire known for its design-centric properties that have generated cult-like appeal, including the renowned Ojai Rancho Inn, Solvang’s Hamlet Inn, Santa Barbara’s Agave Inn, and the Alamo Motel in the up-and-coming epicurean destination of Los Alamos, not to mention the California-meets-Indonesian restaurant Sama Sama Kitchen on State Street. All of the places in this extraordinarily chic portfolio are designed to embrace the surrounding community, engaging hometown artists and musicians to create an experience that is authentic, organic, and super-sexy. For example, the Ojai Rancho Inn embraces the spirituality of that magical valley, and becomes a centrally located jumping off point for people to explore it all.
Kenny is one of the most stylish and centered women I’ve met. She grew up working at her family’s motel, where she started taking reservations at just 10 years old. She considers herself a conservationist of motels and motor courts, and her business has remained a family affair; her sister runs the Hamlet Inn and her aunt, the Agave.